Let the Demigod Games begin!
by camichameleon1
Summary: Percy and Annabeth (after the Battle of the Labyrinth, during winter break) are sent to Panem, to protect the daughter of Artemis and the son of Hestia (Katniss and Peeta, and yes, I know that they're maiden goddesses), and participate in the 74th Hunger Games. I will explain Katniss and Peeta's parents and stuff later.
1. Chapter 1: A Mission

**Hi and welcome to my second fanfiction (not that the first is done)! I do not own Percy Jackson or The Hunger Games (unfortunately) and I'm sorry to say that a lot of the plot from the Hunger Games will be used in this story, because it's kinda necessary. But I'll try to skip over the parts that you already know, so just be sure you've read the books.**

 **Spoiler Alert! Spoilers for the Hunger Games, and maybe a few for Percy Jackson and the Olympians (but not Heroes of Olympus). If I feel like making a HoO fangirl joke, I'll A/N it.**

 **Warning! Slight shipping of Percy & Katniss, and Peeta & Annabeth, but I'll only actually make that go somewhere if you guys want me to. Otherwise, it's Percabeth and . . . seriously, what is Katniss and Peeta's ship name anyway? I guess for now let's go with Katpee, as it's better than the alternative.**

 **R &R, thanks!**

Percy and Annabeth zoomed up the elevator in the Empire State Building. They had received a summons from the gods while on winter break, to come up to Olympus immediately. So, naturally, they came.

The throne room was mostly empty, just Artemis and Hestia waiting for them.

"Um, hi." Percy said awkwardly. Artemis looked up. Hestia smiled.

"Hello." Hestia said gently. "We have a task for the two of you."

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. After having recently traveled through the Labyrinth and made it out alive, they felt pretty caught up on "tasks".

"Anything you need, milady." Annabeth said formally.

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Percy said informally.

Artemis shifted. "There are two demigods in grave danger. We need you to watch over them. Protect them. And when you can, bring them to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy let out a breath. Just collect two demigods. Easy peasy. He did this last winter. Sure, he'd almost died, and one of the half-bloods died, but that was still a passing grade. Right?

"Okay, whose kids are they?" Annabeth asked. Hestia and Artemis glanced at each other.

Hestia spoke first. "My son, and Artemis's daughter."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"Hang on," Percy said. Annabeth kicked him, but he ignored her. "I thought you two had sworn off mortals. Since when do you have demigod children?"

Artemis glared at him. "Gods make mistakes, Percy Jackson. You should know."

Percy glared back. "Are you calling me a mistake?" he growled.

Annabeth kicked him harder. "We'd be honored to help your children, of course. Where are they?"

Hestia grimaced. "They're in, well, the future."

"The _future_?" Percy exclaimed. "How are we supposed to get to the future?"

"Well, we _are_ goddesses." Artemis said, annoyed. "We can take you there."

"Why do we need to go there, though? Can't some other demigods from their time help them?" Annabeth wondered.

"Annabeth, in their time, Camp Half-Blood is in Africa. And so are the gods." Hestia explained. "There are no other demigods to help them. They don't even know that they are demigods. You two are their only hope."

"Okay, fine. We'll do it. But I have to be back before school starts in January."

"Yes, yes. Three weeks at most." Artemis said. "Now are you ready?"

"Wait." Annabeth said. "Who are they? Where exactly are we going?"

"Yes, of course." Hestia handed Annabeth and Percy each a letter. "This will explain who the two kids are, and more importantly, who you are."

"Who _we_ are?" Percy asked.

"Well, yes. Because of the, uh, circumstances of this world, you will have to blend in. Don't worry, we've rigged the … government system, so that you'll be with the kids … wherever their path takes them." Artemis said slowly.

Annabeth opened her envelope.

"We're not going to be together?" she asked Hestia.

"No, your homes are in different regions. But you will see each other on the second day of the . . . holiday festivities. Which will begin the morning you arrive. So don't worry about it."

"Okay, I'm ready." Percy said. "Just . . . tell my mom something." Hestia nodded. They were surrounded by light so bright it burned. Percy closed his eyes. When it came to Greeks, glowing could cause dying if you looked.

"So," Percy shouted over a weird humming noise. "At least tell me these kids' names!"

"It said," Annabeth replied, "that their names are Katniss and Peeta."


	2. Chapter 2: The Reaping

**Hi guys! I don't own PJO or HG.**

 **I don't have much to say today, just R &R. Thanks!**

Percy opened his eyes and gripped the letter in his hands. _Annabeth_ , he thought. Then he remembered.

He ripped open the letter he was holding, anxious to learn more about these kids, the mysterious "holiday festivities" today, and where the heck he was.

According to the letter, he was in a land called Panem. The leader was an old dude named President Snow. Panem was split into 12 districts, each making different things. The girl, Katniss Everdeen, lived in District 12 with the boy, Peeta Mellark. Percy himself was in District 4, a rich, favored district that mainly focused on fishing. _Cool_ , Percy thought. _Fishing means saltwater._ Annabeth was in District 3, technology. _Good for her_ , Percy thought. Annabeth was probably inventing something genius right then.

Then he got to the part about the Hunger Games. 24 kids fighting to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol, the rich, spoiled hometown of the President. That was what he had walked himself into? Percy groaned. It wasn't that he couldn't win; he could; it was that he didn't really like killing people. Especially innocent people. Percy decided he'd just find Annabeth, Katniss, and Peeta, and find the nearest lake, take them underwater with a giant air bubble, and let them kill themselves off. Then he'd kill the survivor, find a way out of there, and call the gods to take them back to their time.

The only problem was the finding his way out of there. _Annabeth will figure it out_ , Percy thought.

* * *

Annabeth slammed her head against her bed frame. She'd been thinking for hours about how they were going to get out of the arena. Maybe they could just call the gods? But then the Greek gods would be broadcast live on TV to everyone in Panem, and Annabeth didn't think the Mist, which was barely present there in 'America', would be able to hide that.

If they could survive and win, Annabeth had no doubt. But you don't really win until you're the last one standing. Fake their deaths? No, they put trackers in you to check your pulse. Annabeth decided those trackers were her best hope. She'd have to tamper with them somehow.

It was time for the reaping ceremony. Where they drew names to decide who would be in the Hunger Games. Annabeth knew she'd be the female. But who would the male be? She headed to the town square to find out.

"Ladies first!" shouted the loud, accented male voice from the stage. He reached his hand into a large glass ball and drew out a slip of paper.

"Annabeth Chase!" He called. Annabeth walked up to the stage, glad everything was going according to plan.

"Hello Annabeth." said the man. He wore a large yellow wig with clown makeup and stretched lips, like a creepier version of Ronald McDonald.

"Now for the boys!" He shouted, reaching his hand into the second glass ball.

"Jonas McTerry!" A short, pointy-nosed boy screamed. Peacekeepers dragged the boy to the stage.

"Let's have a round of applause for District Three's tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games!" the man shouted. There was a smattering of applause from a few people in the crowd. Most people just looked relieved.

 _What a dreadful holiday_ , Annabeth thought.

* * *

"Molly Carp!" shouted a strange woman as she read from a slip of paper. Percy stared at her. _Is that a birthmark, a tattoo, or just a coffee stain on her face?_ he wondered. The woman had a paw-print shaped dark mark ( **A/N Harry Potter, all the way!** ) on her cheek. It looked crazy weird.

"Percy Jackson!" he heard, startling him out of his thoughts. He ran up to the stage, whooping and cheering like crazy because he wasn't sure how else to act. _Hey, better they think I'm mental than a demigod, right?_ he thought. Luckily nobody seemed to be looking at him strangely. _I guess in District 4, being reaped is, like, a privilege. Maybe that's what it meant when it said it's a Career District_ , he thought.

Percy and Molly were led into a nice room where they were supposed to 'say goodbye to their loved ones'. Percy wished Annabeth were there. Or his mom. No, he was glad that she was safe at home. _Technically,_ he remembered, _she's dead._ It was a depressing thought. _Or she's a god_ , he suggested.

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Percy called.

"It's the grocer. Can I come in?" called a male voice.

Percy shrugged. If it was a demon or something, he had Riptide in his pocket. He opened the door.

A tall, kind-looking man stepped inside. "My name's Connor." he said. Percy immediately thought of Connor Stoll, but this man looked nothing like the Stoll brothers. Or Hermes.

"I saw you in the crowd today," the man continued. "You looked pretty sad and alone. I figured you had no family. Here." He handed Percy a pomegranate. Percy decided not to explain why he hated pomegranates, and took it. The man left. Percy threw the pomegranate away.

That was when the Peacekeepers came and took him away.

 **Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Maybe one review before I post the next chapter? Thanks, guys! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Train

**Hey you guys! How are you enjoying the story so far? The one thing I don't like about it is that since it's set before the Last Olympian, (A.K.A. Before Percabeth became official), I can't have too much Percabeth. In fact, I'm probably putting in more than I should. I hope you're okay with that. I don't own PJO or HGs. R &R, thanks!**

Percy sat in the train, watching the sun move across the sky. Sure, it was an awesome train. Maybe not as awesome as a pegasus, but more awesome than something like a giant metal dragon. Not that he'd ever been on a giant metal dragon, but hey, you never know.

Tomorrow he'd see Annabeth again, according to the gods. Hopefully she'd be okay. Maybe she'd have already figured out a plan to win the Hunger Games.

* * *

Annabeth couldn't come up with a plan to win the Hunger Games. She sat on the high-tech, silent train, thinking up plan after plan, but nothing that would work. As much as she hated not knowing something, she hated not being able to figure something out anymore.

Lunch had been amazing. There was so much food here, it seemed insane to think that Districts 11 and 12 had people who died of starvation every month. Annabeth started thinking about ways she could make this society run a whole lot smoother. She shook her head. _Focus_ , she told herself. _How are we going to get out of the arena?_ The tracker idea was her best bet so far. But first she needed to see the trackers. No, strike that, first she needed to see Percy. _Percy_ , she mentally cried. _Is he okay? Was he even reaped?_ Annabeth suddenly realized that she could find that out if she wanted. She turned to the creepy clown dude from the reaping.

"Need something, dear?" He asked her. Apparently it was his job to "oversee" her and Jonas.

"Um, I'd like to see the reapings. From the other districts." she said, wondering if he would let her.

"Right," he said, like he was supposed to have shown it to her already. "Let's get Jonas in here, then."

A few minutes later, Annabeth watched the reapings from District 1 (Glimmer and Marvel), and District 2 (Clove and Cato). Next she watched herself be called. She looked relieved. She supposed she'd have to come up with a cover story for herself. Next Jonas was called. He looked terrified.

Finally, it was time for District 4. Percy. Annabeth watched as the Capitol lady read the girl's name (Molly Carp), then she drew a boy's name. Annabeth held her breath.

"Percy Jackson!" shouted the lady on the tape. Annabeth sighed and went to bed.

* * *

The next day Percy woke to the sound of cheering. _Cheering?_ , he wondered, getting up. Apparently the "soundproof" train's walls weren't soundproof enough to keep out the screaming of millions of Capitol citizens. Percy went to the window and saw people screaming and pointing at him. He was used to it, so he gave them a crooked smile and waved.

Molly came to stand by him. She crossed her arms and glared at the crowd as Percy grinned. He glanced down at her.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, genuinely curious. She turned her glare to him and walked away. Percy shrugged and turned back to the crowd, knowing he'd see Annabeth that day.

 **Sorry it's not that long, I just felt like it should end there before they get to their stylists. P.S. I won't start on Katniss or Peeta's perspective until they meet Percabeth, because you (should) already know what happens to them in the book.**

 **Quiz time!**

 **1\. How did Kronos end up barfing his kids that he ate?**

 **2\. What is District 6's specialty product/service they provide for the Capitol?**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! I'd love a review, if you have the time. Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Chariot Ride

Annabeth did not smile and wave as her train passed the Capitol crowd. She was too preoccupied with trying to figure out her approach for her public appearance. Should she be sassy? Cute? Mature? Annabeth smiled and shook her head. What was she thinking? The only thing that could win her any sponsors was her brain. And maybe . . . Percy. Percy had this aura of power around him that made him seem undefeatable. If they pretended that they were . . . together . . . well, everyone loved a love story. Maybe they could make the audience sponsor them. But for now, it was time for Annabeth to let her stylist make her beautiful.

"Hello, miss. Mmmm, you'll be an easy one, won't you?" Annabeth stared at the freakish woman in shock. Her face was stretched and tattooed in gold and black stripes. There were whiskers on her cheeks. Her pupils were slits. Her canines were sharpened. Her nails were claws.

"I'm Tigris." said the woman. _How fitting_ , Annabeth thought. Then Tigris and her prep team pounced on her like cats.

* * *

Percy couldn't believe his stylist. He was supposed to wear a pair of swim trunks for the Hunger Games chariot ride into the Training Center. A pair of swim trunks! Sure, Percy had a six-pack, but it was cold outside at night. This was the first time he'd meet Katniss and Peeta face to face, and he would meet them in swim trunks. He sighed.

Percy and Molly, also swimwear-clad (luckily a one-piece), got onto their shiny blue chariot. Percy smiled. _Hello_ , he said to the horses. _Master!_ They replied. _We haven't met a son of Poseidon in our entire lives! What happened?_ Percy grimaced. _Um, the gods moved to Africa. Guess no one told you._ The horse snorted. _Hey, can we have a gentle ride today, please?_ Percy asked. The horse bobbed its head. Percy smiled.

Suddenly, Percy looked around and realized that Katniss and Peeta were there. He's only seen them in pictures, and they looked stunning with their hair and makeup done in their black suits. He hopped off to talk to them, and ran right into Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" he said loudly. Annabeth blushed.

"Hi, Percy." she muttered. "Um, Katniss and Peeta are over there. We should go talk to them." She looked away, seemingly embarrassed about something.

"Right." Percy said, remembering. They ran to Katniss and Peeta, who looked nervous about something their stylist was telling them.

"Um, hi. I'm Percy." Percy said awkwardly. He was relieved that they were the same age as he and Annabeth (about, maybe a year or two older), because it would be totally creepy for a couple of 14-year-olds to be taking care of two 12-year-olds or something. Actually, it was still weird. "This is Annabeth." Percy finished.

"Um, hi. I'm Katniss." said Katniss.

"Peeta." Peeta said.

"Katniss, I saw how you volunteered for your sister at the reaping. That was really brave. I'm not sure if I'd do that for my sisters." She smiled at Percy. Percy realized that Annabeth's sisters were fellow daughters of Athena. He grinned.

"Thanks." said Kat. Percy wondered if she would let him call her Kat.

Just then the first chariot jolted forwards and Percy and Annabeth ran back to their chariots. Soon enough Annabeth and then Percy were going. Katniss and Peeta didn't notice when Cinna lit their costumes; they were too busy staring at Percy and Annabeth.

When Katniss and Peeta's chariot started they jumped and fell over. The crowd first saw them almost falling off their chariot, with their backs on fire. The crowd screamed and yelled, thinking that the two children were burning. By the time Katniss and Peeta stood and regained their balance, the crowd had figured out that the fire must be fake, and instead started laughing at the twin klutz's. Katniss held back tears. How was she supposed to get sponsors now?


	5. Chapter 5: Training

**Hey, guys and gals. Presenting Chapter 5 of Let the Demigod Games Begin! I know it's been some time (not** ** _that_** **long, but still), so here it is! This one is extra long for you guys, so I hope you like it!**

 **I own only the OCs and the plot (well, some of it), so . . . yeah. ;}**

 **Please R &R, and once again, you're so very welcome for the long chapter. I just felt bad because all my previous chapters have been pretty short.**

Percy and Annabeth had to separate when they got to the Training Center because they were in different districts. They rode the locator together, but at the third floor Annabeth said goodbye to Percy and got off.

"So how do you two know each other?" A male voice asked. Percy jumped. It was Peeta. He hadn't realized it, but Katniss and Peeta had been standing behind him the whole time.

"Oh, um..." He thought. They hadn't prepared a story for this. "Our two older siblings were dating. They had secret meetings a lot, and we sometimes got caught up with it. So we saw each other a lot."

"Where are your older siblings now?"

"Um, they're dead. It was illegal, you know. Secret meetings between two people of different districts." Percy mentally pat himself on the back for coming up with such a good story on the fly.

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love." Katniss said, finally speaking. Percy sensed that she didn't talk much.

"Yeah." Percy blinked hard a few times to make it look like he was getting teary eyed. "My older sister was pretty awesome. She made me cookies all the time." Percy realized he was talking about his mom.

"Hey, um, you know we passed floor 4, right? It's floor 12 now. Our stop." Peeta said. Percy blinked. It was true.

"Okay. Hey, see you around, right?" Percy said, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, bye." Peeta said. Percy noticed that Katniss didn't talk much. Actually quite the improvement over Annabeth, who talked constantly, unless she was thinking intently. He smiled. These were cool kids he wouldn't mind getting to know.

Annabeth had a problem. It was this kid, Jonas. He was so stupid! She was used to hanging around with smart, wise, Athena kids. This kid did not belong in District 3.

First he thought the TV room was his bedroom. Then he thought the sink was a bath (though it was admittedly huge). Finally he thought the servants (Avoxes) were their roommates. Seriously, where was this kid raised, District Idiot?! Annabeth was put in District Three because it was he closest thing to smarts and wisdom Panem had. Percy was in District Four so that it wouldn't be too suspicious for him to naturally be drawn to water and tridents. But this kid belonged in the Capitol, where idiocy is a fashionable accessory.

That night Percy watched the replays of the chariot rides.

District Three came, with Annabeth and Jonas in these epic costumes literally woven out of black and silvery gray metallic wires. Annabeth looked amazing in her wire dress, while Jonas looked awkward and uncomfortable in his suit thing.

Next came District Four. Percy looked admittedly pretty awesome in his swim trunks, showing off his abs. Molly looked weak as she shivered in her swimsuit.

Percy's eyes skipped over the next several chariots. At District 11 he stopped. The male tribute was a large, muscular boy, probably 17 or 18. But the female was a little girl, looking about ten, but Percy knew she had to be at least twelve. It seemed too cruel for her to have to participate in this. Percy made a mental note to add her to his list of people to save. She almost seemed like she could be a demigod. She had this aura of power around her, like a child of the Big Three. Percy's gut was screaming 'danger!', so it couldn't be Poseidon. That left Hades and Zeus, and she was clearly not Hades. So, Zeus, then.

Annabeth watched as District Twelve's chariot paraded across the screen. Katniss and Peeta had fallen over, evidently tripped when the chariot jolted forward. Annabeth hoped she and Percy hadn't distracted them. To make matters worse, they were on fire. Fake fire, of course, but the daft Capitol audience didn't know that. She winced. Bad way to start off getting sponsors.

Annabeth went to bed, feeling tired and missing Percy. She knew that the next day she would begin her training in the Training Center.

Percy woke up the next morning, ready to face his training. What could they teach him that he didn't already know? Maybe he could practice his archery.

He and Molly rode the elevator down to the -1th floor, or the basement. They were a few minutes late. Everyone was there already. Percy guessed that Annabeth would have gotten there first.

He first went to the sword area, where there were lots of high-tech dummies, that bled in just the right way when you hit them. The LEDs in the dummy eyes turned off when they died. Percy picked up a sword and swung it at the dummy's head. The dummy ducked and picked up a shield from the ground. "Come on," the dummy said. "Is that all you can do?" Percy stared.

"No." He said. "I just thought _that_ was all you could do." He gestured towards the lifeless dummies propped up against the wall to either side of him.

Percy realized that he should probably be hiding his talents right now so that people wouldn't mark him as a threat. He headed over to archery instead.

Percy found that shooting a bow was much easier when the bow was made out of sleek metal. He hit the center of the target on his third try. _Wow_ , he thought. _Everything here is designed to be easy_.

He got bored and looked around for stuff he wasn't good at. Suddenly a thought struck him. Floating around at the bottom of a lake was not going to get them food. Percy was planning on feeding five people now. He needed to know how to get food if he didn't get any weapons to kill animals. Or if there were no animals.

He looked around for something that could help him. Maybe a farming class? Then he saw the small edible and medicinal plants station. Katniss and Peeta were there already.

"Hi," Percy said to Peeta while the training instructor showed them how to tell if a berry was edible or poisonous.

"Hey. How's your room?" Peeta asked.

"Blue. Yours?" He asked.

"Black." Peeta said, chuckling. Percy smiled.

The training instructor showed them what to look for to find a numbing plant. Percy tuned it out, because he learned all this at Camp Half-Blood.

Soon Percy got up and joined Annabeth at the trap-setting station.

"This is so cool!" Annabeth whispered to him. "Look, this trap pulls the animal up so no predator can get to it!" Percy smiled, glad to be learning something new.

That evening Percy, Molly, and their mentors, twin siblings who called themselves Nimmo and Bimmo, talked about strategy. Percy was pretty sure Nimmo was a guy and Bimmo was a girl. Molly suggested they join the Career pack. Percy immediately knocked down that idea because, really, the Career pack definitely would not allow him, Annabeth, Katniss, Peeta, and the Zeus girl from Eleven.

Percy suggested maybe they could get really low scores and have everyone underestimate them. Molly said no, she wanted to join the Careers. She wanted people to take her seriously.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Could we train separately?" he asked Nimmo.

"Yeah, sure." Nimmo said. Bimmo and Molly went into the living room.

"Okay, so there's this girl, Annabeth," Percy started.

"I don't want to hear about your stinkin' girl trouble!" Nimmo yelled. Percy blushed.

"I didn't mean . . . um, just let me finish. Anyway, she's super tough-looking. So, maybe, if I just-" Nimmo cut him off.

"Just be yourself, okay, but don't let other people see your skills. You're good at swordfighting, correct?" Percy nodded. "And trident-wielding?" He nodded again. "And archery?" Percy stifled a grin.

"With a good bow, yeah." he admitted.

"Cool," Nimmo said. "Don't let anyone know that until your individual screening." Percy nodded again. This had been his plan anyway.

* * *

Annabeth and her mentor, Chrissy, were discussing battle plans. Chrissy had a lot of good ideas. Her number one suggestion to Annabeth was to make herself look weak, and pretend to be dependent on Percy. People would think that she needed Percy to survive, and so they'd assume that by killing Percy, they'd be killing her too. Annabeth knew Percy could take care of himself. So that meant that no one would be targeting her.

But Annabeth couldn't help but feel it was a bit cruel (and dangerous) to depend on Percy's great survival instincts to keep them both safe.

Annabeth needed a plan to eliminate all of the enemies in one blow. And she knew just what to do.

 **What did you think? BTW, thanks for reading this sentence! Any ideas, please PM or review them to me PLEASE! I literally am just writing this as I go so if there's something you want to have happen just let me know! Thanks again! Have a good night/day and bye!**


	6. Chapter 6: More Training and Interviews

**Dear amazing readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers,**

 **I am SOOOOOOO sorry! Will you ever forgive me? There is no excuse for the six plus weeks that I have kept you all waiting. I have the next chapter ready, so the first review I get, I will post it.**

 **I can't express in words how sorry I am.**

 **Please, if I ever go longer than you can bear AND longer than at least a week, please feel free to type-yell me.**

 **Don't know how to type-yell?**

 _ **THIS IS TYPE YELLING!**_

 **Got it?**

 **-Your humble writer**

 **P.S. Enjoy.**

Percy sat with Annabeth in the lunch room, waiting for their turns for individual training. Percy had already decided what he was going to do: annihilate a dummy.

Annabeth got up when her turn was called. She walked into the room. The people looked up and watched her intently as she stepped to the middle of the room.

She picked a nice dagger from the weapon array; just like her own dagger back in the 21st century.

She walked over to a dummy and it came to life, brandishing a long sword. She dodged its attack and ducked behind it, holding the dagger to its throat. She pushed and the blood spattered onto the floor. The light in its eyes went out.

Next she practiced her new trapping skills by building one of those snares that pull the animal up out of reach. She scattered a few berries around the area and pressed the rabbit button. A rabbit hologram darted across the floor, heading towards the berries. It ate one (well, hologram ate it), then stepped onto the trap. The trap activated, and a few seconds later Annabeth had a dead rabbit hanging six feet in the air. She glanced at the Gamemakers. She could tell they were impressed.

"Thank you, you can go," one of the Gamemakers said.

Annabeth smiled and left.

Percy headed into the room, ready to sword fight a dummy. But just as he lifted a sword, he decided against it. He had to do something amazing. Something that showed off his true talent. Not just his ability to sword fight. He had to do something to do with water.

There was a tub of water near the back, with a few buckets around it. First he poured some water on his head to help him think. It became clear to him that he had to be subtle. He couldn't just create a wave of water and be done with it.

Finally he realized what to do. He grabbed some rope, and jumped in the tub. It was very large and deep, about 6 feet deep and 10 feet across. More of a pool than a tub.

What they didn't know was that he could breathe underwater just fine. He got to work, sitting at the bottom of the pool. He tied the rope onto an arrow. Then he notched the arrow and shot it into the ceiling. He began to climb the rope, using the water to push him up. He was actually pretty good at rope climbing anyway, so he was able to make it all the way to the top. There, he wiggled the arrow free. The Gamemakers gasped as he fell back towards the pool. Luckily, Percy had hit water from hundreds of feet up and been fine, so the twenty foot fall didn't bother him at all.

He climbed out of the pool and then proceeded to annihilate a dummy as if nothing had happened. The Gamemakers were in awe. Percy guessed that anything the rest of the tributes showed them would be very dull compared to this. Percy bowed.

A Gamemaker said "You may go" and Pervy left, smiling. Once the exit door had closed behind him he dried himself.

That night Annabeth watched the scoring on the TV. The Careers scored high, as always, and stupid Jonas got a five. Then came her. She scored an eight. She smiled. Percy scored an eleven. Eleven, wow! Annabeth wished Percy were there to explain how he did it.

District Eleven's little girl, Rue, scored a seven. Annabeth realized that she could not leave that girl to die. She'd have to ask Percy if there was anyway they could take her with them too.

Finally it was Katniss and Peeta's turn. Peeta got an eight, like her. Annabeth wondered what he had shown the judges. Clearly something impressive.

Katniss, too, scored an eleven. Wow, that makes two of the highest scores in history in one year. Special group. Definitely Katniss had shot some arrows. As daughter of Artemis, she had to be a hunter. But what was Peeta's talent? Hestia ... something to do with fire? Annabeth sincerely hoped that he didn't throw fireballs around. It would be bad if someone saw them doing anything a little too special.

The next day Percy woke, ready to prepare for his interview. First his escort, Wammy, the woman with the stained face, taught him a bunch of lame stuff about smiling and eye contact.

Next, Percy and Nimmo discussed his verbal appearance. It became clear at once that the only personality Percy could pull off was 'Seaweed Brain', which Nimmo called 'winningly obliviousness'. Percy guessed that meant adorably stupid. So Percy was supposed to be the heartthrob of Panem, Jr. The senior was some guy named Finnick.

Percy went to bed feeling tired. He missed Annabeth. This adventure was making Percy more and more miss the days when Annabeth and Grover (and sometimes Tyson )were always by his side.

The next day Annabeth's stylist took her over, making her look beautiful. Annabeth and her mentor had already decided that she had to look drop-dead gorgeous if she wanted sponsors. Plus, to really sell the 'star-crossed lovers' thing, they both had to be loveable.

When Annabeth's prep team was done waxing and trimming her everywhere, her stylist came in with a beautiful dress. It was a lovely sea-blue, with a large ruffled skirt and slightly off-shoulder sleeves.

"I love it!" She exclaimed, ecstatic. Once her dress was on she stepped into her shoes, silver flats that matched her eyes. She appreciated the lack of heels; even without, she always felt too tall back home.

Her hair was done in a simple French braid down her back. She hadn't realized how long her hair had gotten until she felt the braid tickling the small of her back. She pulled it over her shoulder. It nearly reached her belly button.

Her stylist gently pulled the braid back off her shoulder.

"That's one of the other tributes' signature look," she explained. "You don't want to look like you're copying her." Annabeth nodded, knowing the tribute was Katniss.

Finally, it was time for the interviews. Annabeth sat on the stage, waiting for Percy to come in.

Percy was the last person to appear, and gods, he looked great. Like, really great. His emerald tie made his eyes shine and his deep black tux matched his hair. Annabeth blushed when he caught her staring at him, and glanced away. As Percy took his seat, Annabeth glanced at him again. He was staring at her now. She blushed deeper and looked away again. She realized with horror that the whole thing had been captured on camera.

As the interviews started, Annabeth sat impatiently for her turn. She couldn't wait to gush about a mysterious boy she loved, leaving the audience to wonder who it was.

Finally Caeser Flickerman called her to the interview chair.

"So, Annabeth, do you have a nickname?" _Wise Girl_ , Annabeth thought, but she didn't say it.

"No, not really," she answered.

"How about family?" Annabeth paused. She remembered what Percy had said about making up the story about their older siblings.

"Um, I have an older brother, and a mom. I don't see my mom that much, though. She works a lot." Understatement. But 'she is a goddess' maybe wasn't the best thing to say.

"How about boys? Have a boyfriend?" Caesar asked.

"No," Annabeth answered, blushing. Caesar notices.

"Oh, come on!" He insists.

Annabeth sighed, then took a deep breath. "Well, there is this one boy ..." She admitted.

"What's his name?" Flickerman questioned. Gods, this man was like an Aphrodite son.

"I can't tell you that!" Annabeth exclaims. "You see, he doesn't know!"

Caesar nodded. "I do see. At least tell us something about him!"

Annabeth thought. "Well, he's tall and strong and handsome .." She said. True.

Caesar nodded. "Does he like you?" He asked.

Annabeth actually thought about this one. "Well ... I'm not sure. I mean, Percy's usually pretty nice to me ..." She waited.

"Wait, am I deaf or did you just say Percy? As in, Percy Jackson?" Flickerman exclaimed, victorious.

"Oh, no!" Annabeth exclaimed, feigning horror. "Now everyone knows!" She glanced at the screen, displaying Percy's face. He was blushing really hard and looked sort of happy. Annabeth stifled a smile.

"Well, Annabeth, it seems our time is up." Caesar said tragically. "Thank you, and may the odds be ever in your favor, both of you! Now let's talk to the object of Miss Annabeth's interest, Percy Jackson!"

 **Thanks so, so much for reading this sentence! If you didn't read that sentence, it's OK, thanks anyway. Remember, I will post the next chapter after I get ONE more review, so . . . vvvvvvvv . . . review away! Bye, and sorry again! :(**


	7. Chapter 7: The Boys Address the Crowd

**Hi, gals and guys! I got some response from that last chapter, so, as promised, here is Chapter 7. I just want to warn you: not the best writing I've ever done, but I think you'll like it.**

 **To make things a little more interesting, I'm going to start a little contest. The next chapter is going to be about them getting ready for the Games and the Games starting. It'll end when they hear "Let the 74th Hunger Games begin!". So here's the contest: You can either review or PM me a paragraph relevant to this story for Chapter 8. The best entry will be in the next chapter! Please use your best writing if you want to win. You can enter as many paragraphs as you want.**

 **Note: I may slightly edit your entries, but I'll try not to.**

 **Okay, let's do this! Contest begins NOW!**

Percy didn't move. It was his turn for the interview, he knew that, but Annabeth had just confessed her love for him on live TV! When he finally went over to Caesar, he could feel his face burning, his ears red. He'd tried to hide his feelings about her, worried that she wouldn't feel the same, but now he didn't know what to do.

"Well, Percy, how do you feel knowing that Annabeth is in love with you?" Caesar asked him.

 _Be honest_ , Percy told himself.

"Surprised." Percy answered. Caesar laughed. "Well, I think that makes all of us!" He responded. "Now that everything's out in the open, tell me, how do you feel about her?" Percy caught a shot of Annabeth on a screen. Were his eyes deceiving him, or did she look a little ... hopeful?

"Come, on!" Caesar pried. "Do you like her back?"

Percy hesitated. "Yes," he answered honestly. And the audience went crazy as the buzzer rang. Percy went back to his seat, avoiding Annabeth's gaze.

* * *

Peeta was scared. Annabeth had somehow stolen his star-crossed lovers idea. Peeta would just seem like he was copying if he admitted how he felt about Katniss now.

So what was he supposed to say? He had to make the audience love her as he did, shower her with sponsors.

Katniss's turn came, and she talked about Prim and twirled in her pretty bejeweled dress. Peeta stood shakily and approached Caesar.

"Well, Peeta, our audience is beside itself. Anything to add to the flame?" Caesar asked him.

Suddenly it hit him. There was one other thing the audience liked. Action, romance, and finally, emotion. He took a deep breath and began.

"Caesar, I'm going to tell you a story. This is about a young girl, age 11, living in a place where food is scarce and her parents are unable to provide for her and her sister.

"This girl takes over the job as head of the family. She works hard each day after school to bring back food for her little sister and ill mother.

"This girl grows older, and people can see that she is strong and brave, and her sister looks up to her in awe.

"She teaches her sister to work, and she nurses her mother back to health. She has rough times, though.

"Once she almost died of starvation. But someone saw something special in her. Something unique. That someone loved her for that, and so, at her weakest moment, that someone had pity, and gave her food, and she lived."

Caesar stared at Peeta in shock. "Peeta, I must ask, who was this someone who saved her?" Peeta smiled.

"Me." He answered simply.

"Then who is the young girl?" Caesar asked. Peeta paused.

"Katniss Everdeen."

The Capitol audience erupted, beside themselves. Peeta grinned as he watched them look at Katniss in a whole new light.

Then Caesar interrupted. "Peeta, did you say that you _loved_ our friend Katniss?" He asked Peeta insistently.

"I did, Caesar." Peeta answered calmly. The audience shrieked, the buzzer went off, and Peeta returned to his seat.

Katniss, Annabeth, and Percy sat in shock, someone they cared about having just confessed their love for them for all of Panem to hear.

¿Entonces, qué te parece? (So, what did you think?) Please let me know in the reviews and let's get this competition started! You have a week or so to submit your entries. Thanks for reading this sentence. Bye! 


	8. Chapter 8: Let the 74th HGs Begin!

**Okay, guys and gals, sorry for the wait. School and all.**

 **The contest is still on, but obviously not for this chapter. Just submit a paragraph for the future chapters (please don't go more than like 5 chapters in advance, ish). I will choose the best one (if there are any) and put it somewhere in the chapter.**

 **That being said, I haven't gotten any reviews for this lately. So, please. Review.**

 **Let's go!**

Annabeth was so confused. Did Percy just say he liked her? Sure, she did too, but that was all part of the strategy. It was just a plan. A plan Percy didn't know about. Which means that . . . he really _did_ like her. Or did he somehow just guess what she was doing? Regardless, Percy had surprised her, and that wasn't easy to do.

And then there was the second problem. Peeta. He had a lot to work on if he was hoping to get any sponsors. Confessing his love for Katniss . . . it just seemed like he was copying Annabeth. Maybe that had been his plan all along and she had just had the same plan, but it was still a problem.

Percy should have been thinking about what had just happened with Annabeth and the interviews, but knowing he was going into the arena the next day was too terrifying. He was having trouble picturing exactly what he would do if there was no body of water. How would he protect himself, Annabeth, Peeta, Katniss, and Rue?

Percy suddenly jolted into full-panic mode when he realized that no alliances between Katniss and Peeta, Rue, and Percy and Annabeth had been made. So far, Katniss and Peeta probably thought of them as friendly-ish people who talked to them a few times. And Rue didn't even know them.

He tried to catch Annabeth's eye so he could, like, signal to her the problem, but she was still blushing and avoiding his gaze.

Soon enough, Caesar's little closing speech was over and they all got up to go back to the Training Center as the cameras stopped recording.

Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm and she turned, clearly trying to keep her face blank.

"Yeah?" She asked him, totally _not_ nonchalantly.

"Do we have an alliance with them yet?" he asked. "Because I don't think we do."

Just like that, Annabeth temporarily forgot about the interviews and her face changed from embarrassed to deer-in-the-headlights.

"Um, not exactly . . ." she said nervously.

"So when the gong sounds, they're just gonna run off?" Percy clarified. Annabeth nodded slowly, and they both turned to look at Katniss and Peeta, running towards them at the same time.

"Katniss, Peeta!" Percy called out to them as they left. They stopped and waited.

"Um, would you like to be allies? In the arena?" Annabeth asked them confidently.

"Uh . . . why?" Katniss asked her circumspectly.

Percy thought before answering, "Because there's safety in numbers. We could beat the Careers if we work together. You can shoot, right? Well, I can use a sword, and Annabeth a knife. I think we might have a chance if we work together."

"It's a bit better than joining the Careers." Peeta reasoned.

"What?" Katniss asked.

"Nothing." Peeta said quickly. "I'm in." Katniss nodded.

Percy looked around for Rue, but she was already gone. He hoped she'd be okay on her own until he found her.

That night Annabeth couldn't sleep. She could possibly be killed tomorrow. That would be bad. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if she were killed while time traveling.

In the morning, she woke from a short, fitful daze to find that she had ten minutes to get to the hovercraft.

In the hover, she nibbled on a muffin, not hungry but knowing she'd wish she'd eaten later, and drank as much water as she could hold. After all, dehydration was a number one cause of death in Hunger Games history.

In the prep room, or the Launch room, or the slaughterhouse, or whatever you wanted to call it, Annabeth got dressed in her simple outfit and body-heat-reflectant jacket with leather hunting boots. She couldn't remember who her stylist was, but they weren't there.

A high, clear female voice said over a speaker, "Tributes, please stand on your plates."

Annabeth went over to the metal plate ¾ surrounded by a glass cylinder and stepped onto it.

The voice began counting down: 10...9...8.

Annabeth began to worry that there might not be a knife.

6...5.

She wondered if there would be any water. Percy would be basically useless without water or Riptide.

3...2.

Annabeth remembered when Percy couldn't find a balanced sword. No sword felt right to him except Riptide.

1...0.

The metal plate began to rise and Annabeth found herself praying to Poseidon for the first time ever.

"Please, let there be water, please!" a bright light forced her to squeeze her eyes shut, and Annabeth heard, loud and clear, "Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!"

She opened her eyes.

 **Cool! Please remember to submit your entries for the contest (more info at the top) and to review, please! No more chapters until I get two reviews (at least) and that is** ** _final_** **! Thanks for reading this sentence and thanks even more for dropping a review about this sentence. (Please?) See ya later, alligator!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Bloodbath?

**hi guys and gals! Long time no see. It's good to post again; you should expect a few more posts from me this summer: since I'm off school I have a lot more free time. I thought since it's been so long, as my treat to you, I'll give you this. It's ok if you have to go back and reread some of the old chapters (I did too)! Enjoy! :)**

The first thing Percy saw was the lake. Probably freshwater, but he knew he could handle it. Other tributes would want to water source, but his team was tough. That would be home turf.

He looked at the cornucopia. No trident...not that that was his weapon of choice anyway. Riptide was in his pocket. The "pen" had somehow been approved as the token of his district or something. But Percy would have to be discreet about using it. He saw a bow and quiver of arrows, good. Plenty of daggers for Annabeth. But most importantly, tons of food. Percy needed that food.

Before he knew it, the countdown was almost up, and suddenly, the gong rang. Percy jumped off his pedestal and ran to the Cornucopia. He grabbed a sword, slinging its strap over his shoulder. Then he grabbed a large backpack and as much food as he could hold, and spun, looking for the others. He found Peeta sprinting towards some matches. He threw the food at him-not literally, but almost.

"Go. Run. To the lake. We'll meet you there." Percy told him, ducking and pulling Peeta with him as a knife sailed over their heads. Peeta glanced behind him at Katniss, but nodded and ran. Percy ran back to the horn. Annabeth appeared by his side. She grabbed a dagger and several backpacks and ran, following Peeta.

 _How is no one attacking us?_ Percy wondered. Then he noticed that no one else was there. There were two boys wrestling on the ground near the forest, but everyone else must have ran into the forest or that tall wheat field he hadn't noticed earlier. _That's Demeter_ , he thought. _Nobody ever notices her._ He looked around. Katniss, Peeta, Annabeth, but no Rue. They'd have to find her later. The two guys were done wrestling. One lay unmoving on the ground. The other got up. Percy glared at him, Annabeth by his side. He turned and ran. He and Annabeth went to the Cornucopia, grabbed any other food or supplies they could find, and ran to the lake.

"Percy, what WAS that?" Katniss asked when he sat down next to them.

"What was what?"

"That, like, hurricane thing around you." Peeta explained.

"Oh, gods, no. Did I really?" He turned to Annabeth. She nodded but avoided his gaze. Percy blushed and turned back to the others.

"Guys, this is going to sound crazy, but...can you jump in the lake?" Percy asked.

"Um, what?" Katniss asked.

"Please?" Hesitantly, Katniss and Peeta stood up and walked over to the lake's edge. Peeta glanced back at him. Percy nodded encouragingly. They stepped in and plunged underwater.

Percy dived in after them. Annabeth followed.

He quickly created an air bubble for them and enlarged it until it encompasses all of them. This was a good skill. He should use it again later.

Katniss and Peeta were staring at Percy like he was on fire. Annabeth still felt uncomfortable around Percy, but she had some explaining to do. As quickly as she could, she told everything to them. About Olympus, and Greek gods, and their mission, and Katniss and Peeta's parentage.

"Wait...my mom is a god?" Katniss asked. "That's not possible."

"A goddess. And yes, it is. The mom you know...she's just a placeholder. Haven't you ever noticed she's nothing like you?" Judging by the stunned look on Katniss' face, Annabeth was right.

"And...mine too?" Peeta wondered. "I mean, my mom...she looks like me."

"Peeta, your mom is Hestia, Greek goddess of the hearth. Your other mom...she's not related to you. The weak Mist in Panem made you too look alike."

"What about Prim?" Katniss asked. "Is she…?"

"No, she's mortal. Your fake mom married your dad probably right after you were born. They would have had Prim together."

"But...I don't understand." Percy said. "Why haven't they been hunted by monsters like us?"

"There are no monsters in Panem, Percy. Someone between our time and now must have figured out a way to get them to stay dead...forever." Everyone thought about that.

"So...what now?" Katniss asked.

"Yeah...it's time for the painful part." Annabeth drew her knife. "Hold out your arm."

Annabeth soon had four bloody trackers floating in front of her. Percy held then suspended where she needed them. Gods, how was he not passed out from exhaustion yet? Annabeth supposed the water must be giving him strength.

She finally figured out how to wire them just right. She finished the others. It was gross, but she had to push them back into their arms. Luckily no one screamed.

"We'll stitch it when we go up." She told them, wincing. "They should be good to go. If you tap your arm three times, it should shut off, and you'll be read as dead. We have to do it all at once, though, or we'll be separated.

"Why not now?" Percy asked her. She blushed, which annoyed her.

"We have to have a reason to die. They won't believe that we all just dropped dead for no reason. Also, I...I'd like to find Rue."

Percy agreed without question. Strange. Slowly they floated up to the surface.

Somehow, their supplies were still there. Annabeth hadn't thought to store them anywhere. _Stupid_ , she chided herself. Gods, these days she got distracted so easily.

That night, Percy and the others watched the slideshow of dead people. Rue wasn't there, and that was all that he cared about.

They got into their sleeping bags. The night was cold, so everyone pulled their hoods up.

"We should take turns keeping watch." Annabeth suggested. Katniss agreed.

"I'll go first." Percy volunteered. He wasn't tired anyway. "I'll watch with him." Annabeth said. Percy blushed again. Wha was the matter with him lately?

Katniss appeared too tired to protest, so she relaxed and was soon breathing evenly.

Percy glanced at Annabeth. She was polishing her knife on her jacket sleeve. She was pretty intimidating. Those gray eyes...just like Katniss', but more intelligent. Percy blinked and looked away as she looked up at him.

"So." Annabeth said.

Were they really going to talk about this?

"So." He replied. Gods, if only he was a child of Aphrodite. If only he wasn't so awkward. If only he hadn't confessed to all of America...sorry, _Panem_ , how he felt about Annabeth. Then again, she had too.

"Just say it already, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said teasingly. Why did girls do that? Why couldn't _she_ say it?

"Annabeth, I meant what I said. I...I think that you're...um…"

She smiled. "Remember last summer? In the Labyrinth?"

Percy wasn't sure if she was talking about how she had kissed him or something to do with Rachel, or what, but he was going to assume the first one.

"Yes…"

Annabeth leaned in and kissed him slowly. She pulled away, smiling. Definitely the first one.

"I...uh...um…" He stammered.

"I meant it too, Seaweed Brain." She smiled and pulled him close again.

 **So what did you think? Please leave a review, comment, etc. And feel free to leave suggestions as well (I post when the chapter is written, so the rest of the story is currently unwritten). Thanks and bye!**


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